Xserve

The Xserve is a discontinued series of rack-mounted servers that was manufactured by Apple Inc. between 2002 and 2011. It was Apple's first rack-mounted server, and could function as a file server, web server or run high-performance computing applications in clusters – a dedicated cluster Xserve, the Xserve Cluster Node, without a video card and optical drives was also available. The first Xserve had a processor, replaced by a in 2004, and by Intel Xeon processors in 2006; each was available in single-processor and dual-processor configurations. The Xserve was discontinued in 2011, and replaced with the Mac Pro Server and the Mac Mini Server.

Before the Xserve, Apple's server line included the Apple Workgroup Server, Macintosh Server, and Apple Network Server.

Xserve G4

Apple introduced the Xserve on May 14, 2002 (released in June). Initially, two configuration options were available: a single-processor Xserve at US$2999, and a dual-processor Xserve at US$3999. Xserves sold before August 24, 2002 shipped with Mac OS X v10.1 "Puma" Server, while those sold after shipped with Mac OS X v10.2 "Jaguar" Server.

On February 10, 2003, Apple released an improved and expanded Xserve lineup. Improvements included one or two 1.33 GHz PowerPC G4 processors, faster memory, and higher capacity Ultra ATA/133 hard disk drives. The front plate was redesigned for a slot-loading optical drive. A new model, the Xserve Cluster node was announced at the same price as the single-processor Xserve, featuring two 1.33 GHz processors, no optical drive, a single hard drive bay, no video or Ethernet cards, and a 10-client version of "Jaguar" server.

On April 2, 2003 the Xserve RAID was introduced, providing a much higher capacity and higher throughput disk subsystem for the Xserve.

Component Xserve G4 Xserve G4 (Slot Load) Xserve G4 Cluster Node Model identifier RackMac1,1 RackMac1,2 Processor 1 GHz or Dual 1 GHz 1.33 GHz or Dual 1.33 GHz Dual 1.33 GHz CPU cache 64 KB L1, 256 KB (1:1) L2, 2 MB L3 (Per Processor) Front side bus 133 MHz 167 MHz Memory 256 MB of PC2100 DDR SDRAM (1 GHz)512 MB of PC2100 DDR SDRAM (DP 1 GHz)Expandable to 2 GB 256 MB of PC2700 DDR SDRAM (1.33 GHz)512 MB of PC2700 DDR SDRAM (DP 1.33 GHz)Expandable to 2 GB 256 MB of PC2700 DDR SDRAMExpandable to 2 GB Graphics ATI PCI Graphics with 32 MB of DDR SDRAMOptional ATI Radeon 8500 (AGP 4x) ATI PCI Graphics with 32 MB of DDR SDRAMOptional AGP 4x card with 64 MB of DDR SDRAM None Hard drive 60 or 120 GB 7200-rpm ATAUp to 4x 120 GB (480 GB) 60 GB 7200-rpm ATAUp to 4x 180 GB (720 GB) 60 GB 7200-rpm ATAUltra ATA/100 (Optional Ultra 160 SCSI)Four Internal BaysUltra ATA/133Four Internal BaysUltra ATA/133 Optical driveCD-ROMTray-loading CD-ROM or CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo DriveSlot-loading None Connectivity2x Gigabit Ethernet (One on PCI card) 1x Gigabit Ethernet Expansion 2x 64-bit 66 MHz PCI slots1x 66 MHz PCI/AGP slot (used for Gigabit Ethernet card) 2x 64-bit 66 MHz PCI slots Peripherals 2x USB 1.13x FireWire 4001x RS-232 serial 2x USB 1.11x FireWire 4002x FireWire 8001x RS-232 serial Video out VGA VGA or (VGA, DVI and S-Video) with AGP 4x card None Minimum operating system Mac OS X Server 10.1.5 Puma Mac OS X Server 10.2.4 Jaguar Latest release operating system Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 Leopard Weight11.8 kg (26 Pounds)

Xserve G5

On January 6, 2004 Apple introduced the Xserve G5, a redesigned higher-performance Xserve. The 32-bit PowerPC G4s were replaced with one or two 64-bit PowerPC 970 processors running at 2 GHz. Ventilation issues restricted it to three SATA hot-swap drive bays, with the original space for the fourth drive bay used for air vents. The front plate and slot-loading optical drive were retained from the last Xserve G4. The higher memory capacity and bandwidth as well as the stronger floating-point performance of the PowerPC 970 made it more suitable for high-performance computing (HPC) applications. System X is one such cluster computer built with Xserves.

Three configuration options were available: a single-processor model at US$2,999, a dual-processor model at $3,999, and a dual-processor cluster node model (with an unchanged appearance from the G4 cluster node) at US$2,999.

On January 3, 2005, Apple updated the Xserve G5 with faster processors in the dual-processor configurations. 400 GB hard disks were made available for up to 1.2 TB of internal storage. The slot-loading optical drive was upgraded to a combination DVD-ROM/CD-RW standard, DVD-/+RW optional. Soon after, Apple updated the Xserve and Xserve RAID to allow the use of 500 GB Hard Drives.

Xserve G5 models before April 2005 shipped with Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther", after April 2005 shipped with Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger".

Component Xserve G5 Xserve G5 Cluster Node Order Number(s) ML/9216A (2.0), ML/9217A (2.0 DP), M9745LL/A (2.3) ML/9215A (2.0), M9742LL/A (2.3) Model identifier RackMac3.1 Processor 2 GHz, Dual 2 GHz, or Dual 2.3 GHzPowerPC 970FX Dual 2 GHz or Dual 2.3 GHzPowerPC 970FX CPU cache 512 KB L2 Front side bus 1 GHz (2.0 GHz SP or DP)1.15 GHz (2.3 GHz DP) Memory 512 MB or 1 GB of 400 MHz PC3200 ECC DDR SDRAMExpandable to 16 GB 512 MB of 400 MHz PC3200 ECC DDR SDRAMExpandable to 16 GB Graphics NoneOptional PCI card Hard drive 80 GBUp to 3x 500 GB (1.5 TB) Serial ATA 7200-rpmThree Internal Bays Optical drive CD-ROM, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Drive or DVD-RW SuperDriveSlot-loading None Connectivity 2x Gigabit Ethernet Expansion 2x 64-bit PCI-X slots Peripherals 2x USB 2.02x FireWire 8001x FireWire 4001x RS-232 serial Video out None (VGA with optional PCI card) Minimum operating system Mac OS X Server 10.3 Panther Latest release operating system Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 Leopard Weight 15.1 kg (33 Pounds)

Intel Xserve

The Intel-based Xserves were announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference on August 7, 2006, and are significantly faster compared to the Xserve G5. They use Intel Xeon ('Woodcrest') processors, DDR2 ECC FB-DIMMs, ATI Radeon graphics, a maximum storage capacity of 2.25 TB when used with three 750 GB drives, optional redundant power supplies and a 1U rack form factor. The Intel Xserves now had on board video, freeing up an expansion slot.

On January 8, 2008 Xserve was updated with Intel Xeon ('Harpertown') processors, faster memory, and a maximum storage capacity of 3 TB when used with three 1 TB drives. The front-mounted FireWire 400 port featured in previous models was also replaced with a USB 2.0 port. The Xserve RAID was discontinued on February 19, 2008.

On April 7, 2009 Xserve was updated to use Intel Xeon ('Gainestown') processors, DDR3 memory, and NVIDIA graphics with Mini DisplayPort output. The update also saw an increase to the maximum storage capacity, bringing it to 6 TB when used with three 2 TB drives. An option to add a SSD boot-drive that does not occupy a drive bay was also implemented. The addition of the SSD boot drive allows all drives to be swapped whilst the server remains online. It is also Apple's first Xserve to use PVC-free internal cables and components and contain no brominated flame retardants.

On August 28, 2009 Xserve was updated to ship standard with Mac OS X Server 10.6 Unlimited Client Server. In addition to improved functionality Mac OS X 10.6 Server added support for up to 96 GB of RAM.

On November 5, 2010, Apple announced that it would not be developing a future version of Xserve. While accepting orders for the current model until January 31, 2011, and "honoring" all Xserve warranties and extended support programs, the company suggested users switch to Mac Pro Server or Mac Mini Server.

After the Xserve's discontinuation, an annoyed customer emailed Steve Jobs, who responded that "hardly anyone was buying them".

Component Late 2006 Early 2008 Early 2009 Release date August 7, 2006 January 8, 2008 April 7, 2009 Model identifier Xserve1,1 Xserve2,1 Xserve3,1 Processor Dual 2 GHz, Dual 2.66 GHz, or Dual 3 GHzDual-Core Intel Xeon 5100 ("Woodcrest") 2.8 GHz, Dual 2.8 GHz, or Dual 3 GHzQuad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 ("Harpertown") 2.26 GHz, Dual 2.26 GHz, Dual 2.66 GHz, or Dual 2.93 GHzQuad-Core Intel Xeon 5500 ("Gainestown") CPU cache 4 MB L2 (Per Processor) 12 MB L2 (Per Processor) 4x 256 KB L2; 8 MB L3 (Per Processor) System bus 1333 MHz Front side bus (Per Processor) 1600 MHz Front side bus (Per Processor) QPI Memory 1 GB of 667 MHz PC2-5300 Fully Buffered ECC DDR2 SDRAMExpandable to 32 GB 2 GB of 800 MHz PC2-6400 Fully Buffered ECC DDR2 SDRAMExpandable to 32 GB 3 GB of 1066 MHz PC3-8500 ECC DDR3 SDRAMExpandable to 24 GB (Quad Core) or 48 GB (Eight Core) Graphics ATI Radeon X1300 with 64 MB of GDDR3 SDRAMOptional ATI Radeon X1300 with 256 MB of DDR2 SDRAM ATI Radeon X1300 with 64 MB of GDDR3 SDRAM NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 256 MB of GDDR3 SDRAM Hard drive 80 GB SATASATA: Up to 3x 750 GB (2.25 TB)SAS: Up to 3x 300 GB (900 GB) 80 GB SATASATA: Up to 3x 1 TB (3 TB)SAS: Up to 3x 450 GB (1.35 TB) 160 GB SATASATA: Up to 3x 2 TB (6 TB)SAS: Up to 3x 450 GB (1.35 TB) Serial ATA 5400-rpm or SAS 15000-rpmThree Internal Bays Serial ATA 7200-rpm or SAS 15000-rpmOptional 128 GB SSD Boot DriveThree Internal Bays Optical driveSlot loading CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Drive or DVD-RW DL SuperDrive DVD-RW DL SuperDrive Connectivity 2x Gigabit Ethernet Expansion 1x PCIe ×81x configurable slot (PCIe ×8 or 133 MHz PCI-X) 1x PCIe 2.0 ×161x configurable slot (PCIe 2.0 ×8 or 133 MHz PCI-X) 2x PCIe 2.0 ×16 (1x 6.6" length and 1x 9.25" length) Peripherals 2x USB 2.02x FireWire 8001x FireWire 4001x RS-232 serial 3x USB 2.02x FireWire 8001x RS-232 serial Video out Mini-DVI (VGA with adapter)Dual-Link DVI with optional ATI video card Mini DisplayPort Minimum operating system Mac OS X 10.4 TigerMac OS X 10.5 Leopard Latest release operating system Mac OS X 10.7 Lion & Mac OS X Server OS X 10.11 El Capitan & macOS Server Weight 14.4 kg (31.7 Pounds) 14 kg (30.86 Pounds)

Supported operating systems

macOS release Xserve G4 Xserve G5 Xserve XeonOriginalSlot Load/Cluster NodeAllLate 2006Early 2008Early 2009RackMac1,1RackMac1,2RackMac3,1Xserve1,1Xserve2,1Xserve3,1 10.1 Puma Server 10.2 Jaguar Server 10.3 Panther Server 10.4 Tiger Server 10.5 Leopard Server 10.6 Snow Leopard Server 10.7 Lion and Mac OS X Server 10.8 Mountain Lion and OS X Server 10.9 Mavericks and OS X Server 10.10 Yosemite and OS X Server 10.11 El Capitan and OS X Server 10.12 Sierra and macOS Server 10.13 High Sierra and macOS Server 10.14 Mojave and macOS Server 10.15 Catalina and macOS Server 11 Big Sur and macOS Server 12 Monterey and macOS Server 13 Ventura 14 Sonoma 15 Sequoia 26 Tahoe

Notes

References

External links

Apple Xserve G5 Developer Note